From 5 to February 21, the International Group of Formation conducted its fourth meeting to continue the elaboration and complete the common guidelines for formation in our congregation.
The basic for the work of these days were the texts, which the members of the Group had written during the year 2016, and which they had sent to and fro to each other for correction and additions. Now, in two small working groups, all the texts were again discussed and then presented in plenary. Together they were looking then for the essential contents for the different stages of formation, struggled for the best wording, and that in several languages: German, English, and Portuguese (the Indonesian translation will follow later). It was an intense and laborious work, but the Group also experienced how the joint struggling let strength grow in them.
Every day began with a morning prayer-time, which agreed with the work, lying ahead. This prayer was based on texts from a book by Carlos Mesters O.Carm, depicting Jesus as a mentor/ formator.
The creative room decoration was also inspirational. The boat that had decorated the centre of the room during the international meeting of the Initial Formation in 2013 stood now in the chapel and reminded how the plan to write guidelines for formation in our congregation had come up. The photos of our younger sisters, who are now in the initial formation, were also added so that the Sisters of the Group had their faces always before them while they considered the essentials of initial formation.
The meeting ended on February 21 with a pilgrimage to the Blessed Virgin Mary of Telgte, where also our Founder Eduard Michelis went more often.
Many thanks to the Sisters of this Group and all those who have given their contribution to the development of these common guidelines!